The players wanted to know why the officers who shot Blake had not been arrested. Tony Evers proposed two months ago, but has gone without response from the Republican-held state assembly. They wanted the walkout to be Step 1."īarnes told them they should "push for action at every level of government." They could pressure state lawmakers to vote on the police reform bill that Democratic Gov. They wanted something tangible that they could do in the short and long term. "I mean, they were very interested in a call to action. "They just wanted to know what they could do," Barnes said. Inside the locker room, Bucks players were on a Zoom call with Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes and attorney general Josh Kaul, which had been facilitated by team owner Marc Lasry and senior vice president Alex Lasry.Ībout an hour into the Bucks' meeting with Barnes and Kaul, video coordinator Blaine Mueller left the locker room to fetch a large whiteboard that players could write on. ![]() When it became clear the Bucks weren't coming out of their locker room in time for the game, a league official walked by reporters and remarked, "Wow. The Magic were still warming up on the court, preparing to play. No coordination with the league or players' union. There was no consultation with any other players. The Bucks had leapt without really looking where their protest would take the NBA. There will be another players' meeting at the same time. There will be an emergency board of governors meeting at 11 a.m. The expectation is it will postpone Thursday's games as well. THE NBA POSTPONED three playoff games on Wednesday. "But none of us really know where this is headed." "I think there will be a chance for guys to have clearer heads on morning," one team executive said. There is a sense of fatigue among many - emotions spilling over from the trauma of watching the shooting on video, listening to the rhetoric of the Republican National Convention and players feeling like they're being held in captivity in the bubble. The Bucks didn't expect to be the thread that caused the NBA to unravel, one player said.īut that thread had been fraying for a while. They intended to sacrifice a playoff game, only to have their opponent, the league and players and teams from sports leagues around the country join them in solidarity. ET, the Bucks had a change of heart and decided not to play. Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe were among the players who warmed up on the court.īut shortly before their Game 5 tipoff, set for 4 p.m. Milwaukee's coaches went through pregame media sessions. "I came into the arena thinking I was going to play," one Bucks player said. Wednesday afternoon, another wave swept through the Milwaukee Bucks' locker room before a first-round playoff game against the Orlando Magic. The next night, LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who is the son of a police officer, choked back tears and said, "We keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back." ![]() "My emotions are all over the place," he said, as if an apology was necessary. ![]() He'd just won a playoff game, but couldn't enjoy it. "Why does it always have to get to the point where we see the guns firing?" LeBron James asked Monday night. The video of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black father of six, being shot seven times by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police hit the NBA and its players in waves this week. On Thursday morning, NBA players decided to resume the playoffs. Spears, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Malika Andrews and Zach Lowe. This story was reported and written by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, The Undefeated's Marc J. Inside the hectic hours around a historic NBA boycott You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |